Sunday, April 28, 2013

Huzoor Palace @ Porbandar

     I am in the land of 'The Mahatma' or 'Bapu' or 'Mahatma Gandhi' as the world knows him. Porbandar is his place of birth. This painting is of the 150 room palace of the erstwhile King of the erstwhile state of Porbandar. It was built in the early 20th century by the then King Natwar Singh. He named it 'Huzoor Palace'. Huzoor can be roughly translated as 'My Lord'. But before he could enjoy the fruits of his labour, India gained independence and his kingdom became a part of the Indian Union. Devastated, he migrated to UK. His son who inherited this palace keeps visiting but either due to lack of interest or resources, the palace is in a state of disrepair. What surprised me most was that the locals do not even know his name... so neither do I. What an irony, all this wealth and prosperity could not give him recognition. But, the whole world remembers Mahatma Gandhi who was born in a small house in this same place. It goes to prove that all your wealth cannot buy you what your good deeds can.
     Hope you all enjoyed this small bit of history and also like this work.       

9 comments:

  1. It is a beautiful piece you created, holds a mirror to its history, the character and uniqueness of the landmark is felt very much. Thanks for sharing the history and the beautiful truth of life conveyed through this art work!

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  2. History with a powerful lesson, if we stop and think about it. I like this painting very much, especially with the story about the palace. You've given the building so much character with the colors you've used. I like how you made some edges hard and others soft. I wish I could achieve that with my colored pencils. (I don't think it's really the pencils that are the inhibiting factor...) Thanks for posting this and inspiring me!

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  3. !!!!!!!SALUDOS,GRACIAS POR LOS COMENTARIOS RECIBIDOS ES UN PLACER VER LAS BONITAS ACUARELAS Y ADEMAS EL COMENTARIO QUE HACE REFERENCIA A LA HISTORIA DEL PALACIO!!!!!

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  4. Bellissimo acquarello, come sempre accompagnato da una storia. Grazie è sempre interessante

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  5. a really good record AK ... dark and beautifully painted ... i wonder if anyone will restore it .

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  6. Pues es una pena que esa belleza no pueda ser restaurada, la acuarela magníficamente realizada, saludos.

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  7. Love the painting, I could get lost in it, looking at all those rooms!
    The history is so fascinating, thank you so much for including it.

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  8. Great painting! impressive---great post all around

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